After securing a bonus point win against Cuffley Ladies in their first game of the season, the ladies were hoping to follow this with success away at Hackney. The home side had suffered a substantial defeat to Sutton & Epsom in their first game so were ready to prove a point.

Hackey got on the board early, keeping possession and working through the phases to put the put their wingers in space and being strong in their early scrums. Great support play saw them go 12-0 up within the first ten minutes. Streatham were just getting into their stride with some possession, and spotting an overlap second row Kat Tucker took the ball into contact whilst looking for the offload. Unfortunately this led to a nasty and unusual injury of a dislocated hip.

With play stopped for the foreseeable the game was moved to a different pitch. Streatham still had the penalty advantage and after a cracking kick into the corner by Anastasia O’Connor and a wayward lineout recovered by Shay Davies they were very much on the front foot. A brilliant carry by Isobel Sant nearly brought them to the line and all that was left was for Skipper Mel Laidlaw-Anderson to reach out and ground the ball to score for Streatham.

Unfortunately these were to be Streatham’s only points of the game. Depth on the bench for Hackney continued their relentless approach and having taken an early lead they had the confidence to keep the ball moving through their back line. Streatham’s defence improved throughout the game, with great tackles by Isobel Sant leading up the defensive line and Amy Ellis-Thompson, and the prolific winger being contained well by great line speed from Charlie Uden.

In the second half a change in the back line saw Jenny Frost move to inside centre from the wing and made a substantial impact, making breaks across the pitch. However, SCRFC failed to link up to finish any of these and Hackney went over for a few more. Final score 34-5. We wish all the best to Kat Tucker for a speedy recovery.

Next weekend sees the Development team travel to Westcliff RFC in Southend - all are welcome. 2.30pm KO Sunday 30th September.

Forward of the Match: Sholeve (Shay) Dunstana Davies
Back of the Match: Jenny Frost (extra points for her ability to down a pint)

Scorers: Mel Laidlaw-Anderson (1T)